Support NeoGAF

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Game Information

Game Title: The Invincible

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Nov 6, 2023)
• PlayStation 5 (Nov 6, 2023)
• PC (Nov 6, 2023)

Trailer:

• The Invincible - Official Trailer | The MIX Showcase October 2023
• The Invincible - Official Release Date Reveal Trailer
• The Invincible - Official Trailer | IGN Fan Fest 2023

Developer: Starward Industries

Publisher: 11 bit studios

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 71 average - 64% recommended

Metacritic - 69 average based on 17 critic reviews

Written Reviews


ACG - Jeremy Penter - Wait for Sale

Video Review - Quote not available

AltChar - Asmir Kovacevic - 75 / 100

"The Invincible" is a game that definitely prioritises the delivery of an exceptional story over everything else, and it undeniably excels in that regard. However, if you're seeking a robust gameplay experience, you may find yourself somewhat disappointed. Nevertheless, the sheer quality of the narrative within this game ultimately outweighs its apparent shortcomings. In the grand scheme of things, you'll be inclined to forgive any imperfections, as I ultimately did.

Arabhardware - Ahmed Yousry - Arabic - 8 / 10

The Invincible is a distinctive narrative journey that creatively adopts the original novel, and presents us with a philosophical plot of a scientific nature which makes us wonder about everything that exists in the universe around us and how it poses a threat to our human lives. After years of losing hope, this is the closest thing we got to a game like Firewatch!

BaziCenter - Mohammad Talebian - Persian - 7.5 / 10

Numerous technical problems and a disappointing finish have prevented it from becoming one of the best.

But Why Tho? - Charles Hartford - 5 / 10

The Invincible is ultimately a sub-par experience. While it delivers flashes of quality in its cast and its attention to some details, the narrative is ultimately weighed down too much.

Duuro Magazine - Krist Duro - Essential

There are no real puzzles to solve, there's no combat, there's just you trying to traverse through gorgeous landscapes, claustrophobic places and other things I won't mention, trying to figure out what happened and that's absolutely enough. The Invincible is brilliant and I strongly recommend you playing it.

EIP Gaming - Daniel Downey - 8 / 10

The Invincible is a competent first person exploration title, with a wonderful astropunk aesthetic married to a compelling narrative. There are minor issues with navigation, but not enough to prevent the game from being an enjoyable experience.

Game Rant - Adrian Morales - 3.5 / 5

But even with a few technical hiccups, checkpoint woes, and a sense that maybe going this big with such an intimate game wasn’t the best choice, The Invincible is an enjoyable experience. The Invincible is a '60s sci-fi novel brought to life that is best suited for those who love to get nerdy about hard science and love that retro sci-fi aesthetic. More casual fans will likely find plenty to enjoy with the game, but they should know that this a game about getting immersed in a world that wants to tell a story instead of the usual space-faring adventure shtick. When The Invincible gets its hooks in players, it can be a narrative experience that is thrilling, thought-provoking, and worth the ride.

Gamepressure - Matthias Pawlikowski - 8.5 / 10

In some respects, The Invincible is simply a work of art. And among others, a great story and 6-8 hours of wandering through one of the most beautifully designed planets in a video game.

IGN - Andrew McMahon - 5 / 10

The Invincible might have a strong inspiration in the 1964 novel, but every time it attempts to make it more interesting as an interactive experience it ends up doing the opposite.

Multiplayer First - Vitor Braz - 8 / 10

If you’re a fan of slow-paced, story-driven games, this is a good place to be, with robots small and large, friend and foe waiting for your arrival, and quite a few landscapes to explore and instill a certain sense of dread, even if the layout design is excessively on the inflexible side. The Invincible may not mark a leap for the genre, but it is a well-rounded and interesting step for walking simulators.

One More Game - Vincent Ternida - Wait

The Invincible is a well-adapted piece that brings to life a complex sci-fi novel into a fully immersive experience. However, we're also treated to much of its meditative and tedious aspects to create an isolated world filled with complex themes that can be satisfying to more discerning sci-fi aficionados, but as a video game, it is definitely not for everybody.

PC Gamer - Jon Bailes - 77 / 100

An admirable adaptation of a classic sci-fi story, despite a few stumbles.

PC Invasion - Sullivan Pearson - 8 / 10

The Invincible sets out to make you think about what if "not everything, everywhere is for us," and it does not disappoint in the slightest. With cutting-edge graphics and a compelling storyline, the only things holding this game back are its occasionally confusing objectives and relatively mediocre NPC design.

PCGamesN - Josh Brown - 6 / 10

An intriguing story of exploring new frontiers and an easy gateway into retro sci-fi literature, The Invincible is a powerful, engrossing cosmic drama that's held back by a lack of variety and innovation, rough edges around its core mechanics, and a supporting cast that can't quite match the energy of its stars.

Push Square - Liam Croft - 7 / 10

The Invincible has a wondrous story to tell and dazzling graphics to match, but it's held back from greatness by gameplay that struggles to ever break away from the genre structure of old. Mostly walking and talking, it never feels anything more than serviceable. Still, there's an interesting narrative to experience, and with your own decisions changing events, The Invincible should still be played by sci-fi fanatics.

Rectify Gaming - Will "fncwill" - 9.5 / 10

The Invincible is a remarkable gaming experience that seamlessly blends a gripping narrative, profound philosophical themes, and impactful player choices. Its adherence to the spirit of Stanisław Lem’s work and its unique approach to multiple endings set it apart in the gaming landscape. If you’re in search of a thought-provoking sci-fi adventure that challenges your beliefs and offers numerous narrative possibilities, The Invincible is a must-play. It showcases the potential of video games to provide diverse and intellectually stimulating conclusions within an engaging story while delivering a visually stunning and immersive world to explore.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Julian Benson - Unscored

The Invincible is an engaging sci-fi adventure that can leave you cold and confused the moment it stops holding your hand.

Screen Rant - Ben Brosofsky - 3.5 / 5

The Invincible is hard to recommend on the basis of its gameplay alone, as its walking sim core doesn't always feel like the best use of its potential. Its best features can be found elsewhere, however, with a competent take on a great story and a truly staggering success in the looks department keeping the engine running across a modest runtime. Branching possibilities may not be enough to incentivize a second bout of slow exploration, but as a one-time dip into a mysterious tale of beauty and danger, The Invincible might just do the trick.

Spaziogames - Domenico Musicò - Italian - 7 / 10

The Invincible tells the story of the iconic Lem's novel from another point of view and recreates the same atmosphere, tackling important philosophical themes.

The Game Crater - Jade Garrett - 8 / 10

The Invincible is a phenomenal game that has done an excellent job translating a fantastic book into an even better video game. Its retro-futuristic art style compliments the concepts that it discusses, and there won’t be a moment during your playthrough where you’re not curious about what you’ll discover. I highly recommend The Invincible to anyone who enjoys narrative-driven sci-fi adventures.

TheReviewGeek - Greg Wheeler - 5.5 / 10

For a walking simulator, you’d think that Starward Industries would have at least nailed down the walking. Instead, it’s arguably one of the worst parts of The Invincible. Walking sims can be great if they have an interesting story (which this one does, in fairness) but with such laborious, sluggish mechanics to accompany that, this is way more of a chore to get through than it should be.

TheSixthAxis - Aran Suddi - 8 / 10

The Invincible is a novel brought to life, blending its story and stunning visuals with engaging exploration. The Invincible goes back to the roots of sci-fi, offering something both classic and new when it comes to exploring the relationship between humanity and the final frontier.

Try Hard Guides - Erik Hodges - 9 / 10

Though it’s less of a game and more of an interactive novel, The Invincible is worth checking out for any fan of sci-fi or cosmic horror. This dreary adventure into the unknown makes fantastic use of suspense, mystery, and the out-of-this-world concepts of its source material to make for a truly unique Cosmonautian adventure into the unknown.

Use a Potion - 8 / 10

The Invincible is a wondrous retro sci-fi escapade that’ll hook players in with its intriguing story and gorgeous presentation. It’s hard to talk about all of the things I liked about it without giving away too many little spoilers for players, but with plenty of surprises to encounter as you shape your story on Regis III, it’s easy to find yourself fully invested in Yasna’s journey.

It did suffer from a few technical hiccups during my time playing and I’d be lying if I said the movement speed wasn’t a little bit slower than I’d like, but they’re minor issues in what is otherwise an alluring sci-fi experience.

WellPlayed - Kieran Stockton - 6.5 / 10

The Invincible absolutely looks the part, jampacked with stunning alien vistas and a brilliant retrofuturistic aesthetic, but its premise can't quite maintain the momentum of suspense and intrigue generated in its opening act

WhatIfGaming - Rizwan Anwer - 7 / 10

The Invincible is a story about surviving an unforgiving planet brimming with the unknown. The slow-burn takes a while to get interesting and you should be ready for a lot of exploration with minimal gameplay elements. The voice acting does a great job of keeping you immersed in the world, and the story ultimately The visuals may not be the best, but they're decent enough to set the pace for a decent story.

XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 8.2 / 10

The Invincible is a great game, full of wonderful storytelling and choices that feel impactful. The narrative suffers a bit near the end, but it’s an easy game to recommend to any genre fan. The gameplay is enjoyable, Regis III and everything on it is gorgeously realized, and it is a dream prequel to an excellent book.

ZdobywcyGier.eu - Paweł Bortkiewicz - Polish - 7 / 10

The Invincible is a story-driven walking simulator with beautiful graphics, but bugs and some decisions in terms of gameplay unfortunately killed the potential to present an interesting adaptation of literature from Stanislaw Lem.

Video Reviews

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

It scored kinda where I expect it would be. Patiently waiting for my copy to arrive on Monday, oh and the OT will be up over the weekend.

 

[Punished Miku]

Interactive novel walking sim with dialogue choices? Could be fun if you're in the right mood.

 

[balls of snow]

Ahh disapointing scores. Will wait for sale and patches.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Ahh disapointing scores. Will wait for sale and patches.

More like mixed reception, mostly because it's a walking sim and the gameplay is not the core aspect of it, but more the storytelling and the atmosphere. :/
Anyway, I played the demo back when it was on Steam and thoroughly enjoyed it so I know this is going to be a good get in my case, and since it's a new indie studio I'd like to support them with a day 1 purchase regardless if the experience is not as polished as it can be.

 

[nemiroff]

Edit: something went wrong..

 

[justiceiro]

Oh, THAT invincible...

 

[Piggoro]

MAN, I love the original novel!

 

[Duchess]

MAN, I love the original novel!

I've got it on my Amazon wishlist. Just waiting for a £1 sale

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I've updated the OP a bit (OC score jumped to 72), and also checked the steam forums and noticed that one of the devs have mentioned that a complete playthrough takes around 10h. That's honestly longer that I expected for a narrative walking sim and got me even more excited to play it.

Also, it seems to be running quite well on PS5 - at least from the couple of minutes I've watched in this video:

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Devs also confirmed it will have a photo mode.



Also had a cool ad placement in Times Square.

 

[Flabagast]

Man so many games.

Will wait for this one but definitely will try it down the line

 

[wipeout364]

I finished it last night. Fantastic game with several significant caveats. This is a real deal walking simulator. There are some interactive bits but this may be the least interactive game I have played in a while. This is a game that lives and dies by the story it tells. I loved it but your mileage may vary.

Ok that out of the way: do you like a good sci fi yarn? Do you like questioning man’s role in the universe? Do you ever think about your purpose and role in society, as well as how accurate and true the things you are told from your superiors/ government are?

Well this game asks all those questions. Unfortunately like real life there are no real answers here. But the journey is in the asking.

I would not recommend this game as it will be far too polarizing but if you grew up reading Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Herbert you may find some enjoyment here.